1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a bottom surface substrate for an aquarium. In particular, the present invention relates to a molded aquarium substrate with optional aquarium decoration attachment means.
2. Description of Related Art
Display aquariums generally use some sort of substrate at the bottom of the aquarium tank for securing aquarium decorations, providing a natural looking environment, maintaining an environmental balance and generally providing a pleasing and artistic appearance of the aquarium. Typically, the bottom surface substrate of an aquarium is a granular material such as sand, gravel, aragonite, cichlid and coral. Other artificial granular materials are used including polymeric granular materials which can be easily colored and can even be made luminescent. These materials are relatively hard, dense to remain at the bottom and of relatively medium size particle. While these materials have been used for decades now in the display of fish, small retiles, and other aquatic and land creatures they present some problems in terms of maintenance and cleaning. The biggest problem comes when the aquarium is cleaned. The granular substrate must be removed, cleaned and dealt with which leads to spills difficulty in cleaning and a general mess. While these problems are certainly a source of frustration and work for the aquarium owner, the lack of alternatives has led most people to accept the limitations of the current substrate materials.
One important reason for a lack of alternatives is the ability of the current substrates to effectively act as an anchor for decorative items. These items include things such as artificial and live plants, ornamental articles and the like that act to create a particular environment from natural to fanciful in nature. Typically a decorative item is partially buried in a substrate to anchor it. Water currents, the density and weight of the particular decoration and the environment (especially with water) in general however create difficulties in not only placement of articles but in keeping the decorative items stationary once placed.
Live plants have been anchored with weights attached to the plant and items such as flat disks, etc have been added to mounting devices to attach other items. The majority of means to secure decorations work under ideal conditions but are inadequate with a more challenging environment, especially with larger fish or reptiles. As a result frequent adjustment and replacement has been necessary. One solution to the attachment problem has been disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,855,982 to Wechsler Issued Jan. 5, 1999. In this patent there is described an anchoring accessory which includes a support element for reception of plants, a means for selectively positioning the accessory at one of a series of specific locations and a means for fastening an article to a support element. The claimed device is designed to work under and with granular substrate materials and while it does provide a means to anchor decorations it does nothing to avoid the problems with granular substrate materials.
While the problems with aquariums are not as great when the environment is not an aquatic one, the problems encountered with cleaning anchoring and the like are still significant. It is clear that since the problems with current substrates have existed for decades that the art is desperate for new solutions to this problem.